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What is This?

Vince goes to the pallet store and because things are a bargain (sometimes), it doesn’t matter if we need them, if we’ll use them and sometimes . . if we even know what it is!

Yesterday I went upstairs and this thing was put together on the dining room table.

There is a little “door” and there’s a little bag of hardware. I think the door is hinged at the bottom and somehow kinda “hooks” or “snaps” at the top and you pull it down and the door stays attached at the bottom.

Vince said he thinks it’s some kind of little greenhouse for starting seeds. He thinks you put those little peat cups with dirt and seeds in the holes. I don’t think so because (1) there’s not much space at the top between the top shelf and the very top. It’s only about 1-1/2″, maybe 2″ and you have to lift that shelf and slide it forward to get it out and (2) even though the door is glass, it’s a bit frosted and if it were some kind of tool for growing, I think at least the top would be clear and the sides would be clear. With the door closed (or open), it’s pretty dark inside there, even on a sunny day.

The top does not open or come off. The holes go all the way through – drop something in there and it’s going to hit the bottom.

So, we’re at a loss as to what this thing might be. I’ve googled everything I can think of. It seems to be well made (mitered corners on the door), everything fits perfectly. It has to have a purpose!

Most of the stuff at the pallet stores are Amazon returns or items that have been returned to similar stores.

There were instructions on how to put it together but nowhere is there any indication as to what it is – no indication on the box, no brand name imprinted anywhere on the wood. It’s just weird!

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • That’s what I kept trying to make them out to be but I don’t think so. It would only work with something the size of quail eggs and be very awkward to get them out.

    • Doubtful. Top to bottom, they whole thing is probably 6″ tall. The top doesn’t come off and you have to lift the shelves over little pegs to slide them out.

    • Maybe but you wouldn’t be able to see the top labels on any of them. I keep thinking there’s got to be a reason these things are made.

  4. You could replace the shelves with holes, with shelves without holes, and make it much more useful.

  5. You could replace the shelves with holes with shelves without holes and it might be more useful.

    • He paid $5 for it. It’s very small. I was only wondering what its intended use would be.

  6. Could it be a cupcake display? The number of holes seems wrong for cupcakes. Was there any model number or mfg name on it or the packaging. It looks cool, like it was designed specifically for something, but what I’m not really sure.

    • The holes are too small. The holes are larger than for a test tube – maybe about the size of a quarter. That’s what I keep thinking – it was designed for something very specific – obviously NOT something we need. 🙂

  9. Could it be a display box for some sort of coins, medallions, pins, or poker chips? With the hole being completely open (no bottom) it seems you could place your finger underneath the hole and push the coin up from the bottom to remove for close viewing and readjusting. Just a thought. Is the front panel actually frosted or does it have a protective plastic film over it that can be removed?

    • Front panel is frosted glass with ripples in it. The holes don’t have any “lip” for a coin to sit in so it would just fall right through.

    • See how much space is between the shelves on that one? This one doesn’t have that.

  11. Sleuthing! With it not being easy to access at all, it probably is for storage and not for displaying. I’d think it’s for a “set” of something—but what? Probably the holes are too close together for a baseball collection. Maybe golf balls? I’m out of ideas but please update when you figure it out!

  12. Child’s make up box. Eye makeup/lipstick/blush that comes in the circular pods.

    • Too small, holes are too big and there’s no height between the top shelf and the “ceiling”

  13. We need to see a photo of this wooden “box” next to a ruler or someone’s hand, so we can judge the size of it, please.

  14. Good purchase on Vince’s part! You are getting at least $5’s worth of entertainment out of the item!!!

  15. I did a google image search. I could find nothing that was enclosed on the top like this. One of the more open ones said it was a storage rack for essential oil bottles.

    • That was something I came across last night too but the holes are much larger than essential oil bottles.

  16. Any chance it is turned over sideways? Maybe it’s a holder for spools of decorative tapes or ribbon or something. Would need dowels or rods of some sort to hold the spools.

  18. …I thought it was this cupcake box until you said what size the holes are.
    Nufology cupcake carrier on Amazon. I still think it might be for mini cupcakes or muffins. It’s a mystery!

    • That just may be correct. Someone posted a link to a cupcake box and it looks a lot like that.

    • I don’t know. We don’t use pods so I don’t even have one to try. I feel like the holes might be a bit too big but, without a pod here to try, I just can’t say.

  20. The glass looks like it has a film covering to protect the glass during shipping.

    • No. It was in a plastic bag. Most of the items are not in a box.

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